PDP’s George Sekibo wins Rivers East Senatorial election

The candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the Rivers East senatorial district election, George Sekibo, has been declared winner by INEC.

INEC returned Mr. Sekibo winner, Tuesday afternoon, after results from the eight local government areas, LGAs, that constitute Rivers East were collated Tuesday afternoon, almost 48 hours after voting ended.

Mr. Sekibo defeated Andrew Uchendu of the All Progressives Congress, APC. He polled 93,098 votes to defeat Mr. Uchendu who had 34,193 votes.

But there was confrontation between PDP members led by Governor Nyesom Wike and security operatives before the final result was declared at the Port Harcourt City Council Hall.

Mr. Wike mobilised his party members to the venue of the collation centre to demand declaration of the result. The people defied security operatives who were shooting sporadically.

They believed there was a plot to change the result in favour of Mr. Uchendu. 

“We are ready to die, nobody can change our result,” the PDP members shouted.

Meanwhile, the final result of River East included outcomes from Ikwerre and Emohua LGAs which PDP alleged minister Rotimi Amaechi had hijacked with the aid of police officers and soldiers. But as it was in the other six LGAs, PDP also won in Ikwerre and Emohua.

Mr. Sekibo is going to the Senate for the third time. He was first elected to represent Rivers East in the Senate in 2007. Previously, he was in the House of Representatives between 2003 and 2007, representing Ogu/Bolo/Okrika Federal Constituency. 

He has a history of acrimony with Mr. Amaechi.  In January 2008, Mr. Sekibo accused Mr, Amaechi, then Governor of Rivers State, of causing tension between people of Okrika and Ikwerre communities with his ultimatum to the former community to produce militant leader, Ateke Tom. He then said Mr. Amaechi should use legal means to apprehend Mr. Tom.